Talks With Gothi
by EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: Hiccup was never a popular child, but there was one woman in town she could turn to when she needed to. Her Grandmother Gothi watches as Hiccup grows up. Fem! Hiccup. Male! Astrid. Currently a oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is another part of my Fem Hiccup universe. This also has Male! Astrid (Aka Aster) in it. This could be seen as kind of a prequel to the first movie. **

Talks With Gothi

Hiccup was not a well liked child. She was constantly bullied by Snotlout and the twins. Ruffnut wasn't as horrible to her as Tuffnut was because Hiccup was the only other girl her age. Aster had some small respect for her because her father was chief and she and Fishlegs got along better than the rest but the large boy didn't want to be highly associated with the village pariah. She was small and weak, she couldn't lift an axe or handle a war hammer. She wasn't like the other Viking children. No one in the village understood her, no one tried. No one except the oldest woman in the village.

Gothi was a revered figure in the village, she didn't speak but she never really needed to. When Hiccup was a baby her mother had been carried off by a dragon and was never seen again. As Stoic lead the clean-up of the town, hiding his own tears behind a mask of stoicism, Gothi held the babe as she cried. She lightly touched the wound on the young girls chin. It would scar, she could tell. She cradled the baby in her arms knowing that she would have a hard life ahead of her, that this was the first of many scars in a war against the dragons the girl would be forced to fight.

A few years later Gothi spotted Hiccup running through the village crying. The seven year old was clumsy and tripped and fell right outside Gothi's house and sat in the mud sniffling for a moment. Gothi came outside and Hiccup whipped a sleeve across her face trying to rid her cheeks of the tears only succeeding in whipping mud across them.

"S… sorry Gothi. I didn't mean to bother you." Gothi smiled kindly at the young girl and motioned her inside. Hiccup talked while Gothi made tea and listened. The young Viking poured her heart out to the old woman over tea. She talked about how she was always picked on by the others her age, about how alone she felt and about how much she missed her mother. She spoke about how she kept feeling like a disappointment to her father, to the whole village. She had a large burden for one so young, after all she would someday have to lead them all.

"I just don't fit in anywhere. Sometimes I wonder if I ever will." Gothi hugged the wiry young girl and ruffled her shoulder length brown hair. She helped Hiccup clean the mud off her face and braided her hair for good measure.

A year later the young Viking girl was introduced to the son of the Berserker chief. She came away from the meeting bruised with one side of her hair cut shorter than the other side. Gothi shook her head as Hiccup ran between two houses and disappeared from site. That boy was deranged. Hiccup had never really liked her appearance, she was too skinny, not strong enough, not big enough. But she'd been quite proud of her hair, which grew faster than the only other girl her age's hair. But now half her usual braid was gone and no one was even being reprimanded for it. No one but Gobber even looked concerned. Gothi sighed soundlessly and walked off to find the poor girl.

She found her in an alcove in her house that logically should have been impossible to reach but looking around Gothi could see many things for the agile young girl to climb onto to get up to the small space she now occupied. Gothi cleared her throat. Hiccup jumped and slipped out of the hole just catching herself before she fell all the way to the floor. She slipped the rest of the way down the wall and sat down hard, sobbing into her arms. Gothi rested a hand on her shoulder and Hiccup hugged her, still crying. Gothi patted her back, rubbing it calming circles. She pulled Hiccup over to a short stool and had her sit down and explain what had happened. As she did Gothi pulled out her knife and began to even out Hiccup's hair.

In the end the short hairstyle looked good on the girl, it brought out her bright green eyes. Their talks, such as they were became fewer and farther between. Hiccup became Gobber's apprentice and grew up. She didn't fill out much, staying scrawny and shorter than the others. She was still basically the pariah of the village, but she had a job and a place she could go to do what she enjoyed. That usually got her in trouble but she still tried. Gothi smiled slightly as she watched her granddaughter grow up.


	2. After The Exam

**Author's Note: Several people have asked me to continue this one so I decided I would. This one isn't gonna actually be from Gothi's POV it's mostly from Aster's. I own nothing.**

After The Exam

"So what are you going to do about it?" Aster watched Hiccup's face closely. She had just admitted why she couldn't kill the dragon, her dragon. Now she just had to decide what to do, he had the feeling she would make the right one. She sighed looking back at him full in the face for the first time since he'd cornered her on the docks, the same spot where he'd kissed her the night before.

"Eh… Probably something stupid." Aster had to work to hold in a laugh.

"Good but you've already done that." Hiccup nodded, short crop of brown hair bouncing slightly around her ears. Something in her eyes had changed, there was a spark in those forest green eyes that Aster had only seen once before, when he'd been deposited in that tree and she'd convinced him to come with her on that fateful ride. He didn't quite know what to call it but it lit up her eyes with something beautiful.

"Then something crazy."She turned and ran off heading back towards the arena. Aster grinned at her retreating form before following her.

"That's more like it." The other teens were huddled in the square talking, rather somberly as they thought about what would happen if their parents didn't come back. Hiccup rounded the corner and ran past them. Snotlout and Ruffnut Tuffnut shouted abuse after her but for once she didn't seem to hear them. Ruffnut frowned.

"She didn't even do anything, that's no fun." Snotlout scoffed loudly.

"Who cares? When the Chief and the others get back she's probably gonna get kicked off Berk anyway. And about time too." He got no further as a fist hit him in the face sending him sprawling. The others looked up to see Aster, the rage on his face normally reserved for dragon raids.

"What the…" Snotlout cowered as Aster advanced.

"They aren't coming back you idiot. I've seen what's waiting for them there, it's like nothing any of us have ever seen. Even the dragons are afraid of it. Hiccup is trying to go after them, if you ever want to see your parents again I suggest you listen to her." Fishlegs, who'd been quiet ever since the disaster had started, nodded at him and fell into step behind him as he headed off after Hiccup. Ruffnut and Tuffnut followed Aster like they always did and after a moment Snotlout pulled himself to his feet and followed behind them to the arena. It would at least be amusing to see Hiccup get eaten by a dragon after all the trouble she'd caused.

Aster didn't see Hiccup when he reached the arena. That made him nervous, after all her exam hadn't gone well. He frowned. The gate to the area was propped up just enough so Hiccup could get in. One of dragon's pen doors was slightly ajar. His breath caught in his throat slightly.

"Hiccup?" For a moment there was no sound then blessedly her voice echoed out of the partially opened door.

"Aster could you do me a favor?" He raised an eyebrow slightly as the other teens caught up to him.

"Sure. What do you need?" There was a rustling from the door and realized she was alone in there with the deadly nadder. His heart almost stopped at the thought. Her voice was calm enough though as it once more echoed out of the door causing all the other teens to freeze realizing where she was.

"I need you to, as quietly as possible move the weapons to the other side of the ring as far away from the pens as you can get them." Aster nodded and with Fishlegs help pulled up the gate and began gathering weapons. To his slight surprise Fishlegs was helping him.

"So… Why are we doing this Hiccup?" Fishlegs stammered out looking nervously at the door to the pen. There was a pause.

"Fishlegs?" He nodded then realized she couldn't see him.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing here?" He shrugged.

"Aster told us a bit about that thing our parents are going to go fight. I wanna help if I can." The door to the pen creaked slowly open and Hiccup walked out followed closely by the deadly nadder. It hissed and raised its spikes at the teens Hiccup turned back to it.

"It's ok. They're friends. It's ok." She ran her hand over the scales on the nadders nose and it cooed at her as it sat down and stared at the teens.

"That's a good girl. To answer your question Fishlegs They don't like weapons, they can smell the iron and it makes them nervous." Fishlegs' eyes widened at that. The twins and Snotlout had followed Aster and Fishlegs into the arena but didn't help them move the weapons. Fishlegs fidgeted as the deadly nadder watched them.

"Are we gonna be safe here with that out?" Fishlegs asked motioning towards the dragon. Hiccup nodded.

"Don't pick up a weapon and you'll be fine. She won't hurt you if you don't hurt her." Hiccup was pulling open the next door as she spoke. This was the door to the zipplebacks pen and green smoke plumed out as she stepped in. Moments later she was walking out again coaxing the zippleback out with one hand resting on the left head the other scratching under the right heads chin. It was no longer smoking as it settled down next to the nadder and began making noises at the other dragon. Hiccup smiled as she hurried to the next pen. The gronckle came to her bowling her off her feet. Aster twitched forward as it sniffed her but then it started licking her face. She laughed slightly, gently guiding it off of her.

"No I don't have any dragon grass this time, but if this goes well you won't have to stay in that pen anymore. It was a bit small for you." Snotlout and the twins seemed genuinely interested at this point stepping up beside Aster and Fishlegs to watch Hiccup with disbelief written clearly on their faces.

"The heck is dragon grass?" Tuffnut asked as the gronckle circled her once before wandering over to the other dragons.

"Tell you what if we live through this I'll tell you." She tensed as she reached the last door. Aster quickstepped up to her before she could reach for the door.

"You don't have to do this Hiccup. We've got plenty of dragons here already. You and I can take the nadder and go after them." Hiccup seemed to think about that for a moment before Fishlegs raised his hand.

"Um… I'd like to go with, I wanna help save our parents. Please." Hiccup turned to the gathered teens. She did a quick headcount and sighed internally they didn't have time for this.

"Ok who all wants to come?" To Aster's shock every hand in the arena shot up. Hiccup looked just as shocked.

"Really?" Tuffnut nodded.

"You're crazy. I like crazy." Aster shoved him back glaring.

"Ok then wait there." She looked back at Aster with a half smile that made his heart sing then she was gone, disappeared into the monstrous nightmare's pen. The teens lined up watching for what seemed like forever. Then the doors swung open and Hiccup backed out of the pen leading the large red dragon that had tried to kill her only hours before. It looked almost docile as she led it with just a hand on its large muzzle. She reached out with her other hand until she found the nearest teens hand. It was Snotlout. Ignoring his stuttered protests she guided his hand onto the nose of the nightmare. He laughed slightly as his hand touched the rough scales. Then Hiccup backed away and he frowned.

"Where are you going?" He sounded scared as Hiccup grabbed a length of rope from the wall.

"You're gonna need something to hang on with." She walked over to the deadly nadder as Snotlout stammered. Aster didn't miss the slight smile on her face, but the determined gleam hadn't left her face.

"It'll be ok Snotlout. Just relax. Introduce yourself." She unwound the rope and held it up to the nadder who tilted her head then bit through it cutting the rope but never coming near Hiccups hands. Hiccup grinned and scratched her under her chin attaching the rope to a few of her spikes as she knelt her head down so Hiccup could reach more of her scales. The process was repeated for every dragon including the nightmare who was very compliant, almost apologetic towards Hiccup as if he was trying to apologies for nearly killing her. Maybe he was just scared Toothless would try and kill him again if he so much as looked at Hiccup wrong and honestly Aster wouldn't put it past that dragon. Toothless was quite something, Aster just hoped they could get him out of this mess. Once she was done she led a teen to a dragon at a time. She started with Fishlegs who was bouncing, either with excitement or fear Aster couldn't tell.

"Hold your hand out in front of him like this." Fishlegs did as she instructed and soon he was astride the gronckle waiting to take off, grinning like a maniac. The twins were a bit more difficult but they too ended up on top of the zippleback, each on a separate neck. Somehow she got the still slightly stammering Snotlout onto the back of the nightmare and turned to find Aster already scratching the deadly nadder under her chin. Hiccup grinned.

"Come on Hiccup, let's go save our parents." Hiccup nodded accepting his hand up onto the back of the dragon where she sat in front of him just like she had the night before. Without another word they took off into the sky to the terrified cries of the other teens the other dragons followed the nadders lead.

"Alright girl take us home so we can finish this." The nadder seemed to nod and they sped off after the ships, Aster praying to every god and goddess he could think of that they would reach them in time.


	3. After The Battle

**Author's Note: All kinds of inspiration today. I own nothing. This one's gonna be mostly from Stoick's POV though there may be others. Please Review.**

After The Battle

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Stoick the Vast was scared for the first time in his life since he'd seen his wife being carried off by the large four winged dragon. He'd never seen either of them again. Hiccup and the night fury had joined forces to defeat the mountain sized dragon and had succeeded, taking it down in a massive explosion of fire. But they were nowhere to be seen after the fire died. It hadn't taken long for the fire to die but Stoick could feel dread pulling at his heart as he searched through the smoke calling his daughters name. He spotted a dark shape through the smoke and ran towards it, heart in his throat.

It was her dragon, the beast appeared to be unconscious but his rider was nowhere to be seen. Her saddle was still on his back, charred and broken, his false fin nothing but mangled metal. The night fury twitched, turning onto its side facing Stoick, eyes slowly flickering open. They were green, he hadn't noticed before. They looked just like Hiccups eyes.

"I did this." Stoick felt grief and guilt wash over him. If he had just taken the time to listen to her when she'd pleaded him to none of this would have happened. Hiccup would still be here. Stoick dropped to his knees as tears welled up in his eyes.

Aster pushed his way to the front of the crowd of gathered Vikings and gasped at what he saw. Stoick was kneeling down in front of a motionless Toothless. Hiccup was not there. Aster felt his eyes burn as the other teens and Gobber crowded around him. The entire crowd was deathly silent as they all tried to accept the loss of the girl who had just saved all their lives. The girl who had singlehandedly ended a war that had been raging for generations. The girl they had never truly accepted as one of their own. Tears dripped down Aster's face but for once he didn't care. He felt like his heart was cracking in two.

"I'm so sorry." Tears started falling down Stoick's face as he spoke to thin air looking down at the dragons green eyes. The dragon warbled at him and unfolded its wings from where they'd been tucked around its legs. Legs that held Hiccup safe and sound.

Stoick's cry of joy and hope drew the attention of the mourning crowd. He pulled Hiccup out of her dragons grasp and ran a hand through her hair before tossing his helmet aside and putting an ear to her chest. He gasped with joy.

"She's alive! You brought her back alive!" The crowd cheered, even the dragons seemed to celebrate. Aster felt hope rise in his heart though his feet were frozen to the spot as Gobber rushed past him to check on her. Stoick leaned forward, his daughter still in his lap, and patted Toothless on the mussel gently.

"Thank you for saving my daughter." Gobber was looking down at Hiccup, standing next to Stoick.

"Well you know, most of her." Stoick turned his head to ask Gobber what he meant but it was then he spotted the blood. Hiccups left leg was mangled. The wound started just a few inches below the knee. He foot was a bloody mess, barely recognizable as what it had once been. It was clear that the night fury had grabbed her by the leg with his teeth, shredding muscle and the bone was clearly broken as well. Gobber nodded as he knelt down next to Stoick to examine the leg.

"I saw her falling. By all rights she should have been roasted. This beast must have only just gotten a hold on her at the last second. Had to grab her somehow. Excellent work there Screecher." Aster had followed Gobber somewhat tentatively trying to wipe away tears so no one would see.

"Screecher?" Gobber turned to Aster nodding towards Toothless as he motioned the healer forward. The large man rushed past them ignoring their conversation as he checked over his patient.

"For the noise he makes when he shoots. Well he's got to have a name doesn't he?" Aster was trying to look around Gobber without drawing attention to himself.

"Toothless." Gobber frowned.

"What's that lad?" Aster turned back to face Gobber having no luck getting around him without being noticed.

"His name is Toothless, Hiccup named him." Gobber raised an eyebrow at him.

"And how do you know that lad?" Aster flinched slightly at the real question he knew Gobber was asking,_ how long have you known_. But Stoick saved him from having to answer for the moment.

"Gobber, that can wait, we need another set of hands over here. Aster, get that crowd back, have them start salvaging what they can from the ships see if we can make any of them sea worthy. We'll need to get her home as soon as possible." As Aster walked away she heard the healer talking to Stoick.

"There's no way around it. The foot has to go." Aster felt tears rising again and rushed off to follow Stoick's orders instead of thinking about it. He was pretty successful until the screaming started.

Stoick felt tears streaming down his face for the second time that day as Hiccup writhed in his arms. Gobber was holding down her legs as the healer worked as quickly as he could to tie bandages around the stump that had been Hiccups leg moments before. Even though she remained unconscious she was screaming like they were killing her. Toothless whined and laid his head on her stomach gently trying to calm her down. Soon she stopped twitching and was once again still and blessedly silent in his arms. Her breathing was broken and she was sweating. Toothless cooed at her nudging her side to try and get her to wake up. She twitched slightly in her sleep, but showed no signs of waking. The healer checked her over as Spitelout, Snotlout's father, rushed over.

"Stoick, we've found enough pieces of the ships to rebuild one but that's the good news." Stoick stood as Gobber took his place at Hiccups side.

"What's the bad news?" Spitelout looked over Gobbers shoulder at his prone niece.

"It's going to take a week maybe more." Stoick turned to the healer who shook his head.

"It's too damp here. She's already developing a fever. She might last two days, but not a week. She needs Gothi." Gothi was the wisest woman in Berk she could heal practically anything with the right herbs and a bit of time. Stoick felt his heart drop to somewhere near his shoes. He had gotten her back just to lose her again. The gods must have a grudge against him.

Aster watched the scene with a heavy heart. There was no way to get her home in time. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that Hiccup was going to die. The deadly nadder they had ridden to the island together bumped her head against his hand. He absently scratched her under the chin before it hit him. The dragons were slowly coming back to the island, the ones that the teens had ridden had never left. There might be a way to save Hiccup after all.

"Chief, sir. I've got an idea."


	4. Recovery

**Author's Note: Seriously just can't stop. I own nothing. Please review.**

Recovery

Stoick hadn't been too keen on the idea, if only because it separated them but he agreed after a short talk with the healer. They had loaded Hiccup onto the back of the dragon once Aster was situated and sure he wouldn't drop her. She was wrapped in one of the blankets they had managed to salvage and dry out near a fire the dragons had been all too happy to light for them. Aster held the reigns Hiccup had tied to the nadder what felt like days ago in one hand and held her with the other arm wrapped around her waist. Toothless warbled at the nadder looking more upset than Stoick that he was being separated from his rider. The nadder nodded at the night fury and they turned to take off. Stoick caught Aster's arm.

"Keep her safe." Aster nodded, he didn't have to be told that. He'd promised himself that he would do anything he could to make sure she lived. They took off like an arrow shot from a bow. The dragon knew where they were going. Aster trusted what little Hiccup had taught him and she'd said that even if they themselves couldn't speak dragons understood far more than they gave them credit for. Hiccup was shivering slightly and Aster held her closer trying to keep her warm as he urged the nadder forward.

Gothi had been watching the sky since she'd seen the most unlikely thing fly out of the arena. The teens had gone off after their parents on dragons with Hiccup in the lead. She couldn't help but hope everything had gone in the young girls favor. She deserved a break after today, the disaster that had been her final exam and then being disowned by her own father, the only family she had. Gothi had heard their argument in the great hall. Stoick smacking her to the ground, denying that she was his daughter, Hiccup crying after he was gone. But she had still gone after them. A streak of blue cut across the night sky, a single dragon. One of the few Vikings left on the island went for the alarm horn but Gothi smacked his hand away. She simply shook her head when he glanced at her.

The dragon landed and a cry for help sounded off its back. The few Vikings left in the village rushed out at the sound of the voice. It was Aster. The dragon he was astride balked slightly at the sight of weapons being drawn but it laid down as flat to the ground as it could go so its rider could disembark with the bundle he carried in his arms. Gothi's eyes widened when she saw what, or rather who the bundle was. It was Hiccup. She swatted Vikings aside, smacking the one with the bola who was raising it against the clearly frightened dragon about the head as she went. Aster knelt down so the tiny woman could reach Hiccup without any trouble, he did not however put her down. Gothi felt her forehead and looked up at Aster asking silently for an explanation.

"She beat a dragon the size of a mountain. She got hurt, fell. Her dragon caught her by the foot, saved her from the biggest fire I've ever seen. But they had to…" Gothi nodded cutting off his babbling explanation. It was clear the boy had fallen hard for the girl now fighting for her life in his arms. His worry for her was written clearly across his face. She nodded to one of the other Vikings to take Hiccup from Aster. Aster tensed but Gothi laid a hand on his shoulder and gestured to the dragon giving him a significant look and then motioning to the seven gathered Vikings who hadn't been there for the epic battle that had clearly taken place. They needed to know what had happened. Aster nodded and handed Hiccup over to the waiting man. He and Gothi rushed her off to her house as Aster turned to the tiny crowd. The nadder did its best to hide behind Aster as he began his incredible story.

Gothi finished rewrapping Hiccup's stump and turned to the door. She knew who was waiting out there. Aster had been denied access to the house since Hiccup had been brought in. He hadn't strayed far away since then spending most of his time talking to his dragon, which he had dubbed Stormfly, or simply sitting by the door waiting. That had been going on for three days. Hiccup's fever was only now starting to go down, finally breaking after several days of close calls with death. But it seemed the Valkiries had decided to let her stay this time. Gothi sighed soundlessly as she made herself a cup of tea. So much had happened in the past few days.

There was still no sign of the ships but several of the Vikings had returned to the island riding dragons, escorted back and forth by the teens who looked at home in the sky now. The teens, save for Aster, didn't stay long. Carrying satchels full of supplies back to the island most of them were trapped on they took off almost as they landed. The Vikings that had returned had backed up Aster's story to the letter. None of them could seem to believe it she was a hero, no longer the village pariah. Quite the opposite in fact. Gothi had put Aster on guard duty so the admiring Vikings would leave the poor girl alone. With the teens bringing them fresh supplies the word was that the rest of them would be back within a few days, if not sooner.

Gobber was back and beating down the door almost as much as Aster. Gothi shooed him off every time, needing all to keep all her attention on Hiccup. She was so young to lose a limb, one of the youngest ever on Berk to survive it. Assuming she did survive. Chances looked better today than they had the past three days and she knew she should let Aster in to see her now that her fever had broken. Before she could act on that thought she heard the horn sound, signaling the sighting of ships on the horizon. She smiled slightly turning back to her granddaughter. She knew that the door would hold against a worried Stoick Haddock. She didn't consider that a worried dragon was quite a bit faster than him.

Toothless was the first dragon off the ship bounding through the small crowd that watched the practical swarm of dragons that was accompanying the small ship, most with a rider. He knocked most of the people off their feet as one of them screamed.

"Night Fury!" He raced into the town past the only building he'd been inside towards the blonde human who had taken his friend.

"Toothless. Calm down." Toothless whined and raced around Aster sniffing the ground trying to pick up Hiccup's scent. Aster sighed as he whined again, there were too many scents, too many people and too much metal making it impossible to pick hers out. Aster took pity on the wide eyed dragon, if only because his wide green eyes reminded him so much of Hiccup. He gestured to the house on the hill and Toothless raced off battering himself against the door a few times before it gave way.

Gothi was slightly startled by the black dragon who literally knocked the door down to find his friend. He ignored Gothi entirely and sniffed Hiccup for a few moments. Once he was satisfied that she was alright, or as alright as she could be at the moment he draped himself across the top of the headboard watching her closely. A few minutes later Stoick the Vast made his way past the destroyed door rolling his eyes at the sight. Then he saw his daughter in the bed, still as death and so pale her freckles stood out like ink on paper. He froze halfway into the house.

"Is she?" Gothi smiled up at him and he slumped in relief. He walked to the table and dragged a bench over to the side of the bed and sat down. Gobber appeared at the destroyed door a few moments later.

"So I see you lot are back. How's she doing?" He stepped into the house and Stoick smiled at his oldest friend.

"She's doing well. Fevers breaking at least." Gothi nodded at Gobber. She stood and walked over to the supplies she had laid out on the table. She looked at Gobber and nodded towards Hiccup and Stoick raising an eyebrow at Gobber. Gobber nodded.

"Yeah I'll teach him all he needs to know. And her later once she's up and about." Gothi nodded seeming satisfied. With that she left the house, heading off towards her own home to get some sleep. She was confident that Hiccup would have round the clock care and that if she took a turn for the worst someone would come fetch her.

Once Gothi had left Gobber turned to his oldest friend who hadn't noticed that he had several plans tucked under his arm. One of the first things Gobber had done when he'd gotten back to Berk was take a look in Hiccup's tiny room in the forge. He'd given it to her about a year after she'd become his apprentice mostly to contain the surprising amount of clutter she somehow managed to generate. For someone so small she had some big ideas, many of which she'd put down on paper. He cleared his throat.

"There's some things here you see Stoick." Stoick turned from his daughter side, letting her hand slide out of his. Gobber set the plans down on the free side of the table and unrolled the first one. Stoick raised an eyebrow not quite understanding what he was looking at, Gobber was the blacksmith not him.

"These are the plans she made up for Toothless' tail fin and the saddle that connects to it. I won't bore you with details but honestly I couldn't have done any of this." Stoick looked up at him, clearly confused.

"What do you mean?" Gobber sighed.

"I mean she's gone and outdone me. She's invented new ways of putting things together, of letting them move on their own. That's not all of it either. She jotted down a few ideas most of them look like she never thought them through all the way. More likely she never thought that it would never happen." He unrolled several other plans. None of them were as intricate as the tailfin designs, some were only rough sketches but they were all practical and inventive at the same time. And they all revolved around dragons. Houses for dragons, feeding stations, some things he couldn't quite tell what they were of but there were dragons in every picture. Stoick shook his head.

"When did she do all of this?" Gobber held up another rolled up piece of paper.

"She always dates her work. This is the earliest date I've found." He unrolled it and pointed at the top left corner. It was dated three days into dragon training. Stoick stared. Gobber held up Hiccup's notebook.

"I've also found this. Take a look." He flipped it open to a page that looked like it had at one point been a map of ravens point. Stoick frowned.

"What does that mean?" Gobber nodded over at Toothless who was sound asleep, one wing stretched down to the bed so it brushed Hiccup's hair with every breath he took.

"My guess is that when she said she shot down a night fury, she really did shoot down a night fury. That night fury right there. She must have found him hurt in the forest and just didn't have the heart to kill him. Truth be told I'm glad. Not surprised in the slightest but glad." Stoick looked from the sleeping dragon to the sleeping form of his daughter and found that he was rather glad of it himself.

"Alright let's get started." Gobber raised an eyebrow at his oldest friend.

"What do you mean?" Stoick grinned and picked up one of Hiccup's plans.

"Well since things have changed so much these past few days it seems like Berk needs a few more crazy ideas that work in our favor." Gobber grinned wide and nodded.

"I was hoping you'd say that."


End file.
